How to Upload Landscape Photos on Instagram

Don't let Instagram's vertical-first design ruin your beautiful landscape photos. The app's tendency to crop wide shots can be frustrating, but you have complete control over how your images are displayed with the right techniques. This guide will walk you through several methods, from a quick in-app fix to creating stunning panoramic carousels, so you can share your landscapes exactly as you intended.

Understanding Why Instagram Crops Your Photos

Before you can fix the problem, you need to understand it. Instagram's user interface is designed for vertical scrolling on a phone, which means taller, vertical images get more screen time and attention. Because of this, the platform prioritizes certain shapes, known as aspect ratios.

An aspect ratio is simply the relationship between an image's width and its height. Here are the main aspect ratios you'll see on the Instagram feed:

• Square (1:1): The classic Instagram format. The width and height are equal (e.g., 1080 x 1080 pixels).
• Portrait (4:5): The tallest format allowed. It takes up the most screen space, making it a favorite for marketers and creators (e.g., 1080 x 1350 pixels).
• Landscape (1.91:1): The widest format you can post without borders. It’s significantly shorter than the other formats (e.g., 1080 x 566 pixels).

The problem arises because most cameras, from DSLRs to iPhones, capture photos in wider ratios like 3:2 or 16:9. When you try to upload a 3:2 landscape photo, Instagram automatically wants to crop it to fit its preferred 4:5 portrait frame. If you try to force the landscape format, it will still crop the sides to fit its maximum 1.91:1 ratio. This means you either lose the top and bottom of your shot or the sides - neither of which is ideal. The solutions below give you back that control.

Method 1: The Quick In-App Fix

Instagram has a built-in tool that lets you resize your photo from the default square crop. This is the fastest and easiest method, but it has one major limitation.

When to use this method: You need to post quickly, and your photo isn't an extreme panorama. It works best for photos that are close to the 1.91:1 ratio.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Open Instagram and tap the '+' icon to create a new post.
2. Select your landscape photo from your camera roll. By default, Instagram will zoom in and place it in a 1:1 square frame.
3. In the bottom-left corner of the photo preview, you’ll see an icon with two expand arrows (it looks a bit like this: <,, >,). Tap this icon.
4. Your photo will zoom out to fit the full width within the frame, reverting to its original landscape orientation up to the 1.91:1 limit.
5. You can then tap 'Next' to proceed with your regular editing and captioning.

The Catch: This method only works up to Instagram's maximum landscape ratio of 1.91:1. If your photo is wider - like a panoramic shot - Instagram will still crop the sides off your image to make it fit. So, if your original shot is gorgeous in all its 16:9 glory, you'll still lose part of the scene.

Method 2: Preserve Your Full Photo with Borders (The Letterbox)

To showcase your entire landscape composition without any cropping whatsoever, the best approach is to add borders to the top and bottom. This technique, often called "letterboxing," places your horizontal image onto a taller, Instagram-approved canvas - usually a 4:5 canvas.

This allows your entire photo to be displayed, and adding white or black borders can create a clean, consistent aesthetic for your feed. It’s the method of choice for many professional photographers.

When to use this method: You want to show the full, uncropped version of your photo, have a very wide panoramic, or want to build a clean and consistent grid aesthetic.

How to Add Borders Using Mobile Apps (like Snapseed)

There are countless apps for this, but Google's Snapseed is free, powerful, and available for both iOS and Android. The instructions are similar for other apps like Adobe Lightroom Mobile or Picsart.

1. Download and open Snapseed and tap anywhere to open your landscape photo.
2. Tap on Tools in the bottom menu to bring up the full list of editing options.
3. Select the Expand tool. It will automatically add borders to your image the same color as the edges.
4. Using your fingers, drag the borders outward to adjust their size. More importantly, at the bottom, you'll find an aspect ratio button. Tap it and select 5:4 (the same dimension just flipped). This will create a perfectly proportioned canvas for Instagram.
5. You may also see a Fill Mode option (often Smart, White, or Black). Tap White or Black to create those clean borders. 'Smart' attempts to fill the area with content from your photo, which usually looks messy for landscapes.
6. Approve your changes with the checkmark, then tap Export to save your new, perfectly formatted photo to your camera roll. You can now upload this version to Instagram without any forced cropping.

How to Add Borders Using Desktop Software (like Photoshop)

If you edit your photos on a computer, creating a bordered image is straightforward in Photoshop or any similar layer-based editor.

1. Go to File >, New.
2. Set up your document in the ideal 4:5 aspect ratio. For example, use a width of 1080 pixels and a height of 1350 pixels. Set the Background Contents to white, black, or any color you prefer.
3. Drag and drop your landscape photo file onto this new canvas. It will be added as a new layer.
4. Resize your photo (hold Shift to maintain its original proportions) until the sides touch the edges of the canvas. You will now have your image perfectly centered with borders at the top and bottom.
5. Go to File >, Export >, Save for Web (Legacy).... Choose JPEG as the format, ensure 'Convert to sRGB' is checked, and save your file.

Method 3: Go Wide with A Seamless Carousel (Panorama Split)

Sometimes a landscape is just too epic for a single frame. In these cases, a multi-photo carousel post is an incredibly engaging way to show off a wide vista. This method involves slicing your panorama into two or more square (1:1) or vertical (4:5) frames that users can swipe through seamlessly.

When to use this method: You have a very wide panorama and want to create an immersive, interactive experience for your followers that encourages them to linger on your post.

How to Create a Seamless Panorama Carousel

Specialized apps make this process incredibly simple, though you can also do it manually in Photoshop if you prefer absolute control.

Using a Mobile App (e.g., PanoraSplit, Swipeable Panorama):

1. Download an app designed for splitting panoramas (many are free with ads or have a small one-time fee).
2. Open the app and select your wide landscape photo from your gallery.
3. The app will show you a preview of how the image will be split. You can usually choose the number of tiles you want to create (e.g., 2, 3, 4) and select the aspect ratio for each tile (stick with 1:1 squares or 4:5 portraits).
4. Once you're happy with the alignment, let the app process the image. It will save each slice as a separate photo to your camera roll in the correct order (e.g., `pano_1.jpg`, `pano_2.jpg`).
5. On Instagram, start a new post and use the 'Select Multiple' option. Tap your sliced photos in the correct order. Instagram will combine them into one seamless carousel post that your followers can swipe through.

Quick Tips for Maximum Image Quality on Instagram

Formatting is half the battle, the other half is making sure your photo doesn't lose quality when Instagram compresses it. Follow these export settings for the sharpest results.

• Resize your photo to be 1080px wide before uploading. For a 4:5 bordered photo, a 1080px by 1350px canvas is perfect. For a 1.91:1 shot, aim for 1080px by 566px.
• File Format: A high-quality JPEG is the best format for uploads.
• Color Space: Always export in the sRGB color space. Most editing programs do this by default for web exports, but it's worth double-checking. This prevents your colors from looking dull or weird on mobile screens.
• Check on Your Phone: Before posting, send the final image to your phone and look at it there. A photo that looks great on a large, bright desktop monitor might appear too dark or have odd colors on a smaller mobile device.

Final Thoughts

Showcasing your landscape photography on a vertical platform like Instagram doesn't have to mean compromising your creative vision. Whether you prefer the quick in-app resize, the professional look of letterbox borders, or the interactive experience of a panoramic carousel, you now have the tools to make your wide shots shine.

Once you've perfectly formatted your pictures, planning how they fit together in a cohesive feed becomes the next step. After getting frustrated using awkward scheduling tools that weren't built for a visual platform like Instagram, we built a tool to fix that. Inside Postbase, our visual calendar allows you to drag and drop your scheduled content to see exactly how your grid will look before you ever hit publish, helping you build a stunning feed without guesswork.

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